Is wood considered a “biobased” product?

That’s the question being posed by the House Committee of Agriculture as it considers an amendment to the Farm Act called the Forest Products Fairness Act of 2012.

First introduced on May 31, the Forest Products Fairness Act will modify the definition of “biobased” materials to include forest products in the United States Department of Agriculture Biobased Markets Program.

The Biobased Markets Program (which also goes by the “BioPreferred” program) was included in the 2002 Far Bill to increase the purchase and use of biobased products.

If this new amendment passes, wood products companies will be able to label their products as a biobased material and they can take advantage of the federal procurement preference.

In essence, it’s about being recognized for what you are. But this is a good thing for the overall wood  product industry. And that includes woodworkers!